About GolfScout

The Mission: To be Chicago's most useful golf resource


Hi, I'm Alex! Welcome to GolfScout.

I’ve lived in Chicagoland for almost three decades and have played hundreds of rounds here. For years, I searched for websites that carefully cataloged the incredible abundance of golf we have. I wanted to see course maps, scorecards, the pro shops, the driving ranges, the practice greens, and even photos of golf holes.

But that didn't exist. So starting in 2022, I decided to build it myself.

The GolfScout Project

My goal is simple: to create the most useful, boots-on-the-ground Chicagoland golf resource possible. It's a comprehensive encyclopedia for the local golfer.

To do this, I have personally visited and photographed over 200 Chicago-area courses (and I'm still going).

I try to photograph and document everything that matters to a player:
  • Scorecards
  • Pro shops
  • Clubhouses
  • Practice areas (driving ranges, practice greens, bunkers, etc)
  • Golf carts
  • Hole-by-hole photo galleries for many courses
  • Detailed course history and descriptions for many courses

...and even course hot dogs!

This is a real-world guide designed to help you find the perfect course for your game and location. And new features are constantly being added. For example, in 2025, I added tee time spacing to each course page, to help you understand how congested a course might be on the weekends.

Learn more about me here.

Documenting a Living History

I believe golf courses are functional, living monuments.

Many of the courses we play in Chicago are over 100 years old. Heck, Belmont opened in 1892 and Jackson Park opened in 1899! Think about it: how many other historic places in Chicagoland can you use exactly as they were intended a century ago?

That’s what makes golf unique. When you're on the tee, you're standing on the exact same land and feeling the same triumphs (and frustrations!) as a Chicagoan generations ago. You’re not just looking at history, you're playing on it.

This philosophy is at the heart of the GolfScout project. This is a useful resource for today. And it's also about building a digital archive, documenting Chicago's courses in detail so that future generations can see how they looked and played in our time, just as we look back on theirs.

Community & Partnerships

GolfScout actively connects the Chicago golf community by maintaining a comprehensive hub of local golf events and supporting the regional competitive scene. For the 2026 season, GolfScout is proud to serve as an Official Media Partner for the Evans Scholars Invitational to help promote and cover one of the most important tournaments in our area. Additionally, GolfScout has partnered with TheGrint Tour to bring exclusive promotions to local players directly through the site.

A Note on Photos (And Pace of Play)

All photos on this site are taken with my phone and lightly enhanced for clarity. I also try to remove people from the photos, such as my playing partners. Faces are always blurred out. Don't worry; I play fast and take photos even faster. These photos never slow down a round for me, my group, or anyone behind us.

Start Exploring

Thank you for visiting. I hope this site helps you discover your next great round. The best way to start is by diving into our most popular features:

Contact GolfScout

Have something to say? A question or an interest in partnering with GolfScout? Feel free to reach out:
[email protected]

Address

GolfScout
1551 Algonquin Road #1018
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008